The anti-fill lobby would like to see a moratorium on fill in Erin – now.
Anna Spiteri and Dave Dautovich of Citizens Against Fill Dumping were before council on Feb. 4 asking for an immediate moratorium on fill.
Spiteri shared the recent News of Minister of Environment Jim Bradley agreeing to the request for a review of the need to establish a new comprehensive, province-wide policy to address the problem of compromised soil and to ensure that fill is “safe.”
She said this review is expected to take 12 to 18 months.
Spiteri added the Ontario Soil Regulation Group Task Force has invited Citizens Against Fill Dumping to join the efforts of a number of groups fighting fill across the province.
“We are here again before you to urge council to stop fill from coming into the town of Erin immediately,” said Spiteri.
“No fill should be accepted before the new site alteration bylaw is passed, a stringent site-alteration permitting process established and the enforcement protocol confirmed.”
She said that without placing a temporary ban on fill until a management system is in place, “We risk further infrastructure damage and the possibility of passing on a costly environmental legacy to those that follow us … Please declare a ‘time out’ for fill coming into the Town of Erin.”
Spiteri said this would send the correct message to the conservation authorities and to the rogue operators who attempt to disregard the fill bylaw.
Spiteri opined that planner Sally Stull’s report suggests there is “neither pro nor con for a moratorium.” Therefore Spiteri saw no reason why fill cannot be stopped from coming into the town.
She said pending site-alteration applications should not be considered until the town’s ad hoc committee has completed its work and made recommendations to council.
“The town should not be open for fill business until the new bylaw is approved and stringent enforcement protocol is in place. Let’s do it right this time.”
Mayor Lou Maieron said he’d recently had a chance to look at the group’s website.
Maieron noted the posted map included 12 fill operations in Erin. Spiteri said five additional sites need to be included on that map.
In discussion with Credit Valley Conservation staff Maieron said some of the sites are very old, completed or very small in nature. He was also told there had been no new activity at the CVC since the new guidelines were put in place. He said according to the planner there has only been one permit issued in the past two years.
“We were just demonstrating the sites which exist in our area,” Spiteri said of the group’s map.
Maieron said he said his concern is that people are not coming in with permits. He questioned how many of the sites were the really large sites in volume of trucks.
Maieron said even if a moratorium was put in place, it would only impact lands regulated by the town, not those regulated by conservation authorities, which make up the majority of the sites generating concerns.
Councillor John Brennan did not believe a moratorium would accomplish anything.
“The problem we have is illegal operations going on,” said Brennan. “It’s not a matter of a moratorium, it’s a matter of enforcement.”
